Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-02-11
ANOTHER OUTRAGEOUS FISH LAW,
PEnRYsBuRo, February s, 1887.


Mr.. Bond Fish Warden. says in the
Toledo Blade Of the 29ih nlt., that he rec
ognizes the mouth Of the Manmee river as
follows: "A line dawn from Grassy
Point across thrjugh the two black bnoys
by Presqne Isle. From there out, fishing
is allowed"
Mr. Bond thinks that the Maumee river
is to be held sacred as n city OF refuge for
the fisl,. All those who lrespass by going
outside of said line shall suffer the penalty
OF being caught, but il they remain In the
river no one will be allowed to molest them.
Mr.. Bond seems TO think that the law
ignores all righ, that the riparian owner
ship has conferred upon the owner Of the
lands along the banks of the Maumee
rivei-righs that have been guaranteed to
them md which they have enjoyed con-
tinuously from time immortal. No one
has ever disputed their right to use their
property by Seine fishing in proper season.
Why then should they he prohibited from
enjoying their rights, while outside said
line those who have no riparian rights are
permitted to catch the same fish when
found outside said line? Why then SO
discriminate? Do you think that il would
be jus, to pass game laws to allow a man TO
shoot and kill game on his farm, and pro-
hibit his neghbor from killing said game
II 1t should gel on his farm? | don'l
think Mr.. Bond has any right TO fix such
a line.
Mr.. Bord by his construction OF the Law
aays that we, citizens of the Maumee VAL
ley, an,i along the tributaries OF the Maui
NEE river, must not catch Red Horse,
Suckers or Saugers, or any other fish." II
we do he will prosecute us. II We want a
mess Of fresh fish we will have to 60 below
the mouth of the Maumee river 10 get
them, or go to one OF the large fish dealers
| who catch them by scores of tons, and pay
them Tor hard fish from eight TO twelve
cents per pound. This is what they call
''ralsing cheap food for the multitude" l
don't see the object of this law-if it ls a
law-uness il be for the special benefit of
few ponnd men and capitalists who have
monopolized the business. They may put
out ten or twenty miles of neis, although
by 30 doing they destroy millions of small
iisl, and spawn. They destroy more small
fish and spawn in one year than all of the
river fishermen in fifty yean. The State
taxes the people of the State to keep up
halcheries to propagate fish for owners of
ponnd nets 10 destroy.
] have been engaged in fishing in the
Maumee river more or less for the last
fifty years and know what am talking
about, being among the first who caught
white tish with seine on the beach below
Cedar Point, when with a seine few hun
dred feet long, and by going out from
shore six or eight hundred feet we would
get six or eight hundred white fisl, at one
haul. We sold them for one and a half
cents per pound, or ak dollars per barrel
when salled. But now the fish cant get
into shoal water TO spawn. They are kept
oul by continuous line of pound nets and
their spawn destroyed. Aud furthermore
when they get the pound nets set in the bay
and lake, there are very few fish ever get
into the Maumee river. Every fisherman
OF any experience will tell you that after
they get their pound nets out in the bay
and lake, they don't catch fall enough to
pav for the use Of their seine. The white
bass that were 20 abundant in the river
before they began fishing with pound nets
in the bay and lake, are now almost ex-
tinct. OLD CITIZEN.